stimulating my 7 week old

[charlotteoxley]

my seven week all daughter is becoming much more alert and interested in her surroundings, any ideas on the best toys/games to stimulate and help her development?

You Making silly faces and noises! They watch you so intently. But also bright colours, anything that they can watch hanging over them and maybe start to reach out for. Have you got a play gym like this?

I think the 'teach yourself baby massage and yoga' book is great. I really look forward to doing it every day and am really disappointed if we don't manage to. I started it at 3 months but it says it's appropriate to start from 6 weeks onwards.
Also someone got us the lamaze black and white socks - she is totally absorbed by them and will happily look at her feet for 10 minutes while I get on with other things. Again, she is older but maybe a younger baby would find them interesting too because of the black and white.

Not as yet.. am going toy shopping this weekend!! she doesnt stay interested in things for too long before she wants cuddles lol!! any other clues? :o

Cheap, lightweight bouncy chair which you can cart round from room to room so she can watch whatever you're doing. Sing nursery rhymes, changing words to fit with whatever you're doing. Any crinkly cloth book.

I agree with the bouncy chair - they're a god send and at that age they just love looking around and taking everything in so you don't have to put in a huge amount of effort. Even changing nappies and getting dressed can be immense fun. My DS has toys dangling above his changing mat and we have great fun getting dressed in the morning, pulling faces, copying each other, making silly noises etc etc. You'll find as she gets older that just engaging her in conversation will fascinate her and she'll watch your facial expressions etc. I just give my DS a running commentary of what i'm doing, putting loads of tone into my voice.

I massively recommend this playmat: direct.tesco.com/q/R.207-1410.aspx?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=GSF_NormalFeed&utm_campaign=GSF_TescoDirect&utm_content=207-1410

It moves and my ds absolutely loved watching it move round from an early age. He still loves it at 6 months.

This one www.johnlewis.com/230190503/Product.aspx is brilliant. Never too early for things like "this little piggy" as well.

Talk to her and carry her in a sling. Tell her about the world.

Use toys like play mats and baby gyms to entertain her and give you time to go to the loo and cook.

She'll learn and develop beautifully if you talk to her, sing, help her use all her senses to explore the world, give her as many cuddles as possible and keep her with you so she can watch you.

You are better than any toy money can buy.

Aww congrats, I loved it when DS was that age :)

We loved-
Fisher Price rocker - Ds used this all the time and even at 3 he would sit and 'read' in it :o

Tiny love arch - This was fab as we could take toys off it to play with or put it together and clip it onto highchair/pram/car seat and even moses basket.

Any toy gym will be fun for them to look at and later play with.

You don't have to spend a lot and in all honesty carrying her around with you and talking/singing/reading with her is the best stimulation of all :)